Clinical trial news from Datamonitor
pharmafile | April 18, 2007 | News story | Research and Development |
Array BioPharma receives payment for cancer inhibitor
Array BioPharma has received a $2 million milestone payment from AstraZeneca after its MEK inhibitor was used in cancer patients in a phase I trial.
In December 2003, Array partnered the oncology portion of its MEK programme, including its lead compound, ARRY-886, for co-development and commercialisation with AstraZeneca. The collaboration included development of additional clinical candidates, which resulted in the selection of ARRY-704 in December 2005. AstraZeneca is conducting the study of the candidate ARRY-704 which triggered the payment to Array.
ARRY-704 blocks signal transduction pathways implicated in cancer cell proliferation and survival. ARRY-704 has shown tumour suppressive activity in multiple preclinical models of human cancer including melanoma, pancreatic, colon, lung, and breast cancers.
Array BioPharma believes that MEK inhibition is an attractive anticancer strategy as it has the potential to block inappropriate signal transduction regardless of the upstream position of the oncogenic aberration.
Related links:
Array BioPharma Inc: LSA Company report
AstraZeneca Corporation: LSA company report
Innovations in Cancer: Novel therapeutics, new diagnostics and future R&D strategies
Pipeline Insight: Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines – A turbulent path from bench to bedside
Regulator Perceptions in Cancer – Evolving opinions about the oncology drug approval process
Cytokinetics begins testing heart failure drug
Cytokinetics has initiated a phase II trials programme with its potential treatment for patients with either acutely decompensated or chronic heart failure.
The first patient has been dosed in the first phase IIa trial, which is designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic profile of an intravenous formulation of the treatment CK-1827452 in patients with stable heart failure. CK-1827452 is the subject of a collaboration recently executed by Cytokinetics with Amgen.
The primary objective of this trial is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of CK-1827452 administered as an intravenous infusion. The secondary objectives of this trial are to establish a relationship between plasma concentration and pharmacodynamic effect for CK-1827452 and to determine the pharmacokinetics of CK-1827452 in stable heart failure patients.
This first phase II clinical trial for CK-1827452 is part of a clinical trials programme, to be conducted by Cytokinetics, which is planned to be comprised of phase I and phase II trials designed to evaluate CK-1827452 in a diversity of patients, including those with stable heart failure, ischemic heart disease, impaired renal function and acutely decompensated heart failure, and patients with chronic heart failure at increased risk for death and hospital admission for heart failure. These trials are planned to evaluate CK-1827452 in both intravenous and oral formulations.
In January 2007, Cytokinetics and Amgen announced a strategic collaboration to discover, develop and commercialise novel small-molecule therapeutics that activate cardiac muscle contractility for potential applications in the treatment of heart failure.
According to industry reports, the US market for heart failure drugs was approximately $1.3 billion in 2004.
Related links:
Cytokinetics Inc: LSA company report
Pipeline Insight: Chronic and Acute Heart Failure – Diversity and Disappointment
Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease – Promoting Healthy Lifestyles
